Walt
by Nothing Really Specific
Summary: In celebration of Walt Disney's birthday, I have this one shot that is very, very, very, very loosely based (can't stress this enough) on how he left Marceline, MO after his WW1 service. There are some truths, and some fiction here. I am using creative licensing, I do not own the rights to Walt's life story. The song that is sung is an original and is a lullaby.


**Walt**

Walt walked down the street, carrying a briefcase in one hand, a cane in the other, and a suit jacket over his shoulder. A smile across his face. The night time air was crisp, a cold front that came through that morning was finally settling in. For the last time he walked up the steps to his Marceline home.

Elias, his father, was sitting at the kitchen table, smoking a cigar. His face was wise beyond years, according to his wife, but according to his sons Roy, Ray, and Walt, his face was the acme of backwards ideologies. If you were to ask him what he described himself as, he would probably say something along the lines of "I'm the most successful failure in Missouri." or "I work at the jelly factory, and like jelly I can shift from one way to the other, so say on my good side." Both of these were true, but Elias knew that deep down, he had an issue that he always had, a disorder. An adult disorder. Extreme temper otherwise known as rage, and it was triggered by things he opposed. "So," Elias said, leaning over the kitchen table, placing his elbows on it, and exhaling cigar smoke. "my youngest son returns from France."

"Yes father, and I've decided on what I want to do with my life." Walt answered with a smile on his face.

"Oh," Elias said, "and what do tell is that?"

"I want to be an artist."

Elias looked at his son, noticing his grin, the suitcase, the look of someone who was about to break into song and dance at any moment, "What could you do with an artistic career?" Elias asked, giving Walt what the future entertainer would call a stare of disapproval, but Elias just called it a stare. "I honestly don't know father," Walt said walking over to the kitchen table. "I was thinking perhaps becoming a cartoonist."

Elias laughed, "A cartoonist, I suppose you'll be going to Kansas City!" He laughed, but Walt retained a serious, 'That's exactly on what I was planning to do' look on his face. His father saw this and stopped laughing. "I'm not going to let you leave like your brothers did, do you understand me?" Elias said, his voice becoming stricter and louder with each passing word. As he talking he stood up and walked into the living room, placing his hands on the chair that he got on clearance. "It's that kind of talk," Walt said standing up, following his father, "that has made up my mind. I'm leaving in a few days."

"A few days. Why not tonight, you might as well," Elias said, "you have your things packed, the clothes on your back, a paycheck in pocket, you have everything you could possibly need. Hell, just go, I don't care. Leave like your brothers."

Walt walked towards the door, "I'm going to come back Father, I'm not leaving forever."

"Yes you will, you'll go to Kansas City and live your dream, you'll forget everything about this place." Elias said, looking at his son. "No I won't," Walt said, "how can I forget my parents, my family, a person just doesn't do that." Elias nodded and walked towards his son, for the first time in his life he embraced him, immediately regretful of his words. He knew from experience the power of regret, and Walt was a witness to it. "You come back you here, you go, I don't much like your career choice, but I'll support your decision." He let go of Walt, he didn't smile, he still had the look of calm and sincerity. He would keep this look for the rest of his life. "Well," Walt said. "So long." He left the house.

Walking down the street, he noticed that the air was cold, and snow had begin to fall. The light on the street corner flickered, the sky was clear towards the south. Venus, the evening star, could be seen. It flickered along with the street light, Walt smiled, and started singing something that would inspire him for the rest of his life. "Sing me to sleep now, the evening star, the one that shines so brightly, to take me to a place safe and warm, a place that's fit for me." He walked to the street corner. A man roughly the same age was there smoking a cigar.

"Singing a lullaby to yourself Walt?" The man asked, whose name was also Walter, last name Pfeiffer. Walter laughed. "You were always a sentimentalist."

"And you were not much of a conversationalist." Disney replied, "Where are you headed?"

"Thomas Grocery down the street, wanna come?" Walter asked, for he could use the company. "No thanks, I've, I've got a train to catch." Disney said.

"_A train?_ At this hour?" Walter said as they began walking across a crosswalk. "The last train pulls out in five minutes." Disney said, the two friends stopped under a streetlamp, unlike its counterpart it was working full capacity. A few crickets chirped. "Listen," Disney began, "I just want you to know that you've been a good friend to me, you and your family. You made me love movie houses and vaudeville shows, thanks for all those school days Walter, it really means a lot to me that I could enjoy them with ya."

"There you go with your sentiments again." Pfeiffer replied with a smile. The train whistle. "Hurry up, you're gonna miss your train." Walt Disney nodded and hustled towards the train station down the road. "Don't be no stranger now!" Pfeiffer called. "I'll wire you once I'm in Kansas City!" Walt cried back.

"Kansas City, what are you going there for?" Pfeiffer asked.

"To be the greatest artist in the world!"

####

The train pulled out of the station just as Walt jumped on. The other passengers were sleeping, old ladies, young troubadours, coal miners, farmers sons, and war veterans. All of them sleeping. Walt sat down in a vacant seat and remembering the song in his head and resumed. "The world it has been watching, the sky it has your sweet image, the light of day fades away, bring me sleep tonight." He looked out towards the passing landscape, Venus appeared from the clouds. Walt smiled, "Dreamers dream things, that no one else dreams, the dreamers fall into a daze. So help them see the dream they dream and won't you please consider me?" He rested his hand on his head and began to drift into his own dream.

####

Elias sat on the couch reading the newspaper. Flora, his wife, and Ruth, their daughter entered the room from the back. They were occupying themselves with sewing, dolls, and hair fixing. "Elias," Flora asked, coming in from behind him. "where's Walt?" she asked.

"The stock market is up." Elias said, completely ignoring his question.

"Well, that's good news for the country, that's grand news for the country, and at the moment I don't care about the country I care about my son now where is he!" Flora shouted. Ruth, who was ten years old, began jumping up and down, "Where's Walt! Where's Walt!" In a chanting voice. She hadn't seen her brother in a year, and needed some quality time.

"Girls I believe our dear Walter has finally left to be on his own." Elias finally said as he flipped towards the funny pages. "Walter?" Flora had a look of shock, disappointment, the look of guilt as if Walt's leaving was her fault. "But how could he?" She said walking towards the chair, sitting down in it, catching her breath. "Elias if you told him anything-" she raised her voice.

"I didn't tell him anything-"

"By God if you made our son leave us like the rest of them, Roy, Ray, I, I don't think I'll ever speak to you again!" She shouted, her face turning a bit red. "You always have a temper with even the smallest things, why, you even had the nerve to hit our son, our Walter with a hammer! Scarred him for life almost."

"Now you bring this up again!" Elias said, his voice having equal volume. "Every time I do something wrong you have to mention that, I told the boy I was sorry, and for Pete's sake woman that was year's ago, he's probably already forgotten about it."

"Well I haven't!" Flora said. "I haven't forgotten a single thing you said, you made Ray leave because of your shouting, you practically held the door open for Roy, and now look what you've done? You made our last boy, my son walk out the door without saying goodbye to me. To me! To Ruth or to his friends. You just let him walk out the door like he was one of your drinking pals from work, which is a shame to call it that anyway. Your _work_. Dismal failure after dismal failure, especially this place."

"Flora I am trying to be the best I can here." Elias said. "The boy wanted to leave, so I let him." Flora stood up and walked towards the back of the house, keeping eye contact with her husband, "That may be Elias, and being a Christian woman I'll forgive you, but it won't be 'til later 'til I know that our boy, no, correction, you never loved him, my boy, is safe. Do you understand that?"

"Yes dear." Elias said under his breath.

Flora stopped in her tracks, "I said do you understand that!"

"Yes!"

She walked out of the room. Ruth hopped along after her, skipping down the hallway. Elias sighed heavily, stood up and walked out the door. He stood on his steps, pulled out a cigarette, lit it, and watched the smoke. He turned towards the train station, the train rolled by. Venus was still shining. He took a breath and started singing naturally, as if he could hear Walt's song from the train. Tears fell as he did so. "He knows of the future dear lady. He seeks of a shelter that I can't bring him. So take his dreams, make him see. The life he deserves to live, I know that he'll be yearning, to see a brand new start. So help me please, evening star."

Walt opened his eyes as Marceline disappeared from view. "I dream of tomorrow, I live for today, the world is waiting for me."

Elias walked down the street, towards Thomas Grocery, "Won't you please guide him?"

As if by telepathic thought, the father and son sang the exact same words at the exact same time. "In a world full of dreamers, and their dreams. Full of darkness, hidden light it seems. Do not take my words for ungratefulness. For the light that you share is heaven blessed. In the night I sing to you evening star."

Elias saw Walter Pfeiffer exit the store. The boy was carrying two bags full of food. "Oh," Walter said with a smile, "hello Mr. Disney, whatcha doing out at this hour."

"Just taking a stroll Mr. Pfeiffer," Elias answered, "you be safe now."

"Thanks Mr. Disney." Walter said as he walked towards his house. Elias walked the other direction towards the train station. He looked up at the sky, hoping, praying for his son's safety, all three of them. Regret started to seep in, he wished he could run so that way he could catch up to the train, but old age prevented that. He continued singing, "So help him see the dream he dreams."

The train headed towards Kansas City, farms and silos were being passed. A row of trees. The wind blew soft whispers of the angles. The passengers still slept. Walt still kept his eyes on the sky, "Bring me sleep tonight."

"Bring him sleep tonight." Elias obliviously echoed.

"Bring me sleep tonight." Walt said as he yawned, growing sleepy as he did so. Elias walked across the station deck, as if he were about to broad an invisible train. "Let him rest."

Walt closed his eyes. "Bring me home tonight."

Elias turned around and walked back towards the road. "Let him find,"

The father and son made a duet. "A place fit to dream." Walt slept on the train all the way to Kansas City. Elias walked back home to find himself sleeping on the couch, thanks to Flora who rejected his admittance into a not comfortable but better than a couch type bed. Ruth meanwhile, was cozy in her room, hugging her favorite doll, a homemade she made herself. Her head filled up with imagination, her eyes, if they were open, sparkled. The heart of innocence.


End file.
